October 07, 2008

What happened to Soap Bars?

I have been contemplating the fact, that it is difficult, or almost impossible to find bars of soap in the stores these days. All that is available are hundreds of brands of liquid soap. I do agree that lovely scented, usually handmade soaps can still be purchased in small boutiques to crazy high prices. But what about common supermarkets? I recall very clearly the time when I first left my parents home and moved to my own apartment. Well, it was the tiniest apartment I ever lived in - 22 square meters of space divided into two rooms. The shower was installed in a small walk-in closet and the kitchen consisted of a sink and two heating plates inside a cabinet. But I did not care, as it was MINE. And I was free and independent to do what I liked. Additionally the place did have a great view and even a small balcony. I lived there for 3 years before moving to the US. During this time I used only bars of soap and I remember my favourite one very clearly: it was green and freshly scented. The brand name was Shield. I have not seen nor used this soap since. I am sure if I smelled it today, it would bring me back in time. In the beginning of the 90's, the liquid soap started to appear on the marked in Europe. Within a couple of years it became very popular and also very common. However, when I moved to North Carolina in 92, here the liquid soap was pretty much still non-existent. So I went back to using bars of soap again. My favourite by far was Camay. I bought it mostly due to a very fancy commercial I used to watch on TV (I guess they do work). Today companies are not advertising for soap bars anymore. The inexpensive bars have become outdated and a bit inconvenient. I wonder if they will ever make a comeback.

2 comments:

That's so funny, because Mr Hazel refuses to use the liquid soaps and buys only bar soaps, while I refuse to use the bar soaps and buy only the liquid. But it's so true that you hardly ever see them advertised on tv anymore. So even in Europe, huh?

I had to laugh, because I once had a room mate that was just like Mr Hazel.;) Yes, even here in Europe you can only find - at the most - two brands of really boring, not very nice scented bar soap in the supermarkets or drugstores.

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About Me

I was born under the Tatra Mountains, to a Czech father and a Slovak mother. I grew up in Sweden and lived almost ten years in North Carolina.
More than a decade ago my line of work took me to Denmark, where I live today. My home, which I share with the man that holds my heart, lies in the northerly part of a Danish peninsula, in the proximity of endless, wide and pristine westbound sandy beaches, surrounded by the rough and untamed North Sea.
My writing is defined by reflections on my cosmopolitan past and my intriguing present. Ultimately I try to convey in words and images my personal thoughts and feelings about life itself, with all its magic, natural splendour and the beauty of simple pleasures.